Contra Costa College gives 181 graduating students a sweet departing gift
Contra Costa College wipes out graduating classes debt
Nearly 200 students at Contra Costa College received a very welcome message on Monday: all of their debt to the school has been wiped out.
SAN PABLO, Calif. - One-hundred and eighty-one Contra Costa College students graduating in May, got a surprising message from their school that brightened up their day.
Debt cleared
If Monday mornings are usually a drag, today was a big, "yippie-ky-o-ky-yay!"
Each of the 181 graduates owed an average of $173, wiped clean by the Contra Costa College Foundation.
"I feel very fortunate to be a president at this institution and have a very supportive foundation and a board who really understands the population we serve," said Contra Costa College President Dr. Kimberly Rogers.
"It's money and it's also saying, 'We are a community that believes in you. You have finished against all odds sometimes, your education with us here at Contra Costa College. Go out, be successful, maybe give back later," said Contra Costa College Foundation Executive Director Sarah Marcellino.
It’s a milestone moment. "[It] really does kind of free up students to start their careers and their lives, just free of debt, really makes a huge difference for them," said resident Rogers.
Whether it is a community college, a city college, a university, even a trade school, they're all dream machines and if the dreamers will simply accomplish things, they can have their dreams.
Life goals
Here's an example. "It may seem like a little bit to some, but that's make or break for a lot of people," said Alex Walker Griffin, an alumnus, whose debt was erased five years ago as he was scraping just to get an education.
He is now Vice-Mayor of Hercules, formerly mayor.
"In order to sustain it and make it a statewide and even nationwide, we really need to see our representatives, both in Sacramento and in Washington, taking on priorities such as this," said the vice mayor.
Making ends meet
For many students, money is super tight.
"It can mean the difference between the light bill, paying for gas, buying textbooks if they transfer into a new institution. It can be childcare. It really can make the difference between having food this week or not," said the president.
"Truth is: $173, to some of our students, means, you know, the ability to get to and from school, to fix their car," said CCC Foundation Director Marcellino.
The other side of no debt is the ability to prove their accomplishment to future schools and potential employers. "If they need to access a transcript, they can't do that if they owe money," said Marcellino.
And, make no mistake, proof of education is a necessity for many jobs, including blue collar ones or moving on to even higher education. "To be able to make a better wage; perhaps with benefits to support their family," said Marcellino. "Your competition now is not just your next-door neighbor, like it was for my grandparents, it's international," said Griffin.
The vice mayor says he's training his sights on a seat in Sacramento or Washington, D.C.
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